Co-creation in education: when children design the spaces of the future

Designing a space is not just a matter of architecture or interior design: it is an opportunity to learn, participate and imagine together. Co-creation in education is a powerful tool to involve children, teachers and the community in the transformation of spaces.

A good example is the project with the Joaquim Vallmajó School and the Navata City Council, where the little ones had a voice and prominence when it came to imagining what a disused civic center room converted into a library for the whole town could be like.

What is co-creation in education?

Co-creation in education consists of involving students and the school community in the processes of design and transformation of spaces. This not only guarantees results that are more adjusted to needs, but also becomes a transversal pedagogical process.

Key benefits:

• Develop creativity and critical thinking.

• It encourages active participation and decision-making.

• Work on real skills such as measurement, drawing or the representation of ideas.

• It gives value to sustainability and shared responsibility.

We already talked about the importance of co-creation in office design in this article.

Practical example: co-creation project in Navata

The City Council and the Joaquim Vallmajó School promoted a participatory process to give new life to a room in the civic center. The goal? Imagine what the town’s library could look like.

The process went like this:

1. The children visited the space, took measurements and made drawings with creative proposals.

2. The Efebé team analysed these ideas and translated them into two plan options.

3. A session was held with all the educational cycles and with the mayor, Bibiana Vallmajó, to collect impressions and decide between the options.

4. The CtoC project was also introduced, with samples of sustainable and circular furniture, showing that the future space could be not only functional, but also environmentally friendly.

This process was not just a design activity: it was an educational experience that allowed the children to feel like protagonists and agents of change.

At Efebé we have applied co-creation in different areas, from schools to offices, with results that show the value of working together. Discover other success stories of Efebé.

How to apply co-creation in your school

Any school can introduce co-creation processes to rethink its spaces. You just need to follow a few key steps:

• Listening to children: collecting opinions, ideas and drawings.

• Translate them into specific proposals: plans, models or comparative options.

• Open the debate: let the students give their opinions, choose and make improvements.

• Integrate sustainability: working with circular furniture or recycled materials adds pedagogical value.

With this process, the spaces become learning classrooms in themselves.

The value of co-creating at school

Co-creation in education not only helps to have more functional and coherent spaces, but also turns students into more critical, participatory and aware people.

Navata’s project is a clear example of how children’s participation can transform a design process into a collective and enriching experience.

Do you want your school to live this experience too? At Efebé we accompany you in designing educational spaces with and for students. Contact us by clicking here if you want more information.